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The Winter 2024 issue of our quarterly magazine, Inspiration, was published over the holiday break and is now available online to all Philanthropy Southeast members.

This issue includes a recap of the 55th Annual Meeting in Nashville, as well as a look at some of the new types of members who have joined Philanthropy Southeast in recent years, reflecting our embrace of a “big tent” that welcomes many types of organizations and approaches to philanthropy.

The issue also includes profiles of new members of the Philanthropy Southeast Board of Trustees and a letter from President & CEO Dena Chadwick.

Print copies of Inspiration are mailed to senior staff at Philanthropy Southeast member organizations, as well as Hull Fellows alumni. All members can access this issue, and previous issues, through the archive on our website.

If you have a story idea for a future issue of Inspiration, please contact David Miller, vice president of strategic communications, at david@philanthropysoutheast.org.

Philanthropy Southeast’s online Research Library is regularly updated with the latest reports relevant to Southern philanthropy. Members can browse over 700 research reports, websites, case studies, and other resources we have cultivated to help funders stay abreast of trends in the field and learn about emerging best practices in philanthropy. 

Below are some of the key findings and highlights of the newest additions to the Research Library. If you would like to suggest a resource or have other feedback, contact Stephen Sherman, Philanthropy Southeast’s Director of Research and Data, at stephen@philanthropysoutheast.org or (404) 524-0911.

The Giving Environment: Giving During Times of Uncertainty: Data on U.S. Household Giving in 2020
IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (2024)
To examine recent giving trends, the authors analyzed longitudinal data from the Philanthropy Panel Study (PPS), a biannual survey of household giving behaviors, to compare pre-pandemic periods to the pivotal first year (2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report quantifies shifts in overall giving rates and average giving amounts while also identifying key drivers of altered giving behavior. This research also uncovers how pandemic factors – such as social distancing mandates, economic loss, and COVID-19 related morbidity/mortality – affected giving patterns. Data showed that giving rates declined from 50 percent in 2018 to 46.9 percent in 2020, following the onset of the pandemic. Those households that continued to give, however, did so in increased amounts. Additionally, giving rates during the pandemic declined more significantly among individuals who were frequent donors before the pandemic compared to those who gave less often.

The New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans turned a scene of joy and revelry into one of terror and sadness. We mourn for all of those who lost their lives, their families, and for the entire community as it processes last week’s events, even as it comes together to support those whose lives have been forever altered.

Several Philanthropy Southeast members in New Orleans have taken direct action to support their community during this time. The Greater New Orleans Foundation has launched the New Orleans New Year’s Day Tragedy Fund, which will serve as a resource to provide assistance to the families of those whose lives were taken and those seriously injured or impacted by the tragedy. You can donate to the fund here:
 

Baptist Community Ministries has partnered with the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to offer free counseling services to those impacted by the attack. This includes direct victims, their families, first responders and other community members otherwise affected. The Methodist Health System Foundation, another Philanthropy Southeast member, has made emergency donations to the Blood Center and the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation.

If you know of other ways for people to support New Orleans, or wish to share actions your organization has taken in response, please contact David Miller at david@philanthropysoutheast.org.

Planning is now underway for the 2025 Annual Meeting, taking place November 12-14 in New Orleans. As we begin to build out our agenda, we want to hear from Philanthropy Southeast members about which topics we should explore in our breakout sessions.

Our full agenda will include sessions focused on these four areas:

• Best & Next Practice – These topics are designed to make organizations more effective and impactful in their giving (e.g., evaluation, collaboration, diligence, reporting).

• Giving Strategies & Priorities – These topics typically focus on community issues, initiatives or programming that reflect giving priorities (e.g., education, health care).

• Governance & Leadership – These topics focus on internal operations and strategies for effective leadership and management (e.g., compliance, investments, governance, communications, staff and trustee development, recruitment and retention).

• Communities & Ecosystems – These topics focus on broad issues facing Southern communities, philanthropy, the charitable sector or society generally (e.g., demographics, public policy, next generation issues, diversity/equity, nonprofit capacity). 

In addition to topics, this survey will also allow you to submit ideas for keynote and plenary speakers for this year’s meeting – we’re excited to hear your ideas!

If a topic you submit is selected, we may ask you to serve on our Annual Meeting Session Design Team to develop your idea further, recruit speakers and work with the Philanthropy Southeast staff on session logistics.

The survey will allow you to submit up to three topics. If you have more than three topics, please send your submission to Quincy Kelly at quincy@philanthropysoutheast.org. Submissions are due by December 31!

Each year, Philanthropy Southeast partners with the Council on Foundations (COF) to produce salary benchmarking reports for foundation staff and CEOs in the Southeast. These reports include the average, median, minimum and maximum salaries for a range of 38 staff positions at all levels in foundations based in the 11 Southeast states and U.S. Caribbean territories. Salary tables are organized by both grantmaker type and asset size to provide quick access to benchmarking data for foundations of all shapes and sizes.

Salary information for 2024 is drawn from data on more than 11,000 full-time paid staff at more than 1,000 grantmaking organizations. The South region accounted for approximately 27 percent of all respondents, with 278 organizations participating from across the region. We wish to thank each of our Philanthropy Southeast member organizations that responded to the 2024 Grantmaker Salary and Benefits Survey earlier this year, providing the valuable benchmarking data that informs these reports.

The 2024 salary tables for Southeast foundations are available exclusively to Philanthropy Southeast members under the For Members section of our web site – or you can click this link to access them directly (login required). 

The Fall 2024 issue of Inspiration, Philanthropy Southeast's quarterly magazine, is now available online to all members!

Our latest issue includes these stories:

• The 2024 Annual Meeting comes to Nashville next month! Our preview looks at the highlights of the agenda and what attendees can expect in Music City.
• Two years after MacKenzie Scott made large, unrestricted gifts to foundations throughout the region, we check back in to see how the recipients are using those resources to achieve their missions and deepen their impact in the communities they serve.
• Several community foundations in the region are on board with a national campaign to raise public awareness about the unique role they play and the power of strategic giving.

This issue also includes a message from President & CEO Dena Chadwick, a roundup of new hires and appointments, and a Q&A with Annual Meeting Chair Anne Davis.

Print copies of Inspiration are mailed to senior staff at Philanthropy Southeast member organizations, as well as Hull Fellows alumni. All members can access this issue, and previous issues, through the archive on our website.

If you have a story idea for a future issue of Inspiration, please contact David Miller, vice president of strategic communications, at david@philanthropysoutheast.org.

Philanthropy Southeast’s online Research Library is regularly updated with the latest reports relevant to Southern philanthropy. Members can browse over 500 research reports, websites, case studies, and other resources we have cultivated to help funders stay abreast of trends in the field and learn about emerging best practices in philanthropy. 

Below are some of the key findings and highlights of the newest additions to the Research Library. If you would like to suggest a resource or have other feedback, contact Stephen Sherman, Philanthropy Southeast’s Director of Research and Data, at stephen@philanthropysoutheast.org or (404) 524-0911.

Philanthropy Southeast is closely monitoring ways members can support communities affected by Hurricane Helene. This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

Last week, Hurricane Helene swept through the Southeast, making landfall as a Category 4 storm and bringing catastrophic winds and flooding to parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The storm caused dozens of deaths and has left communities throughout the region, particularly in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, facing months of rebuilding and recovery.

Our team is ready to support members who have been directly affected by the storm by connecting them with resources and other sources of support. Please call us at (404) 524-0911 if you need to speak with anyone on our staff. You can also email Jaci Bertrand, vice president of member engagement, at jaci@philanthropysoutheast.org.

The North Carolina Network of Grantmakers is also collecting resources for philanthropic organizations supporting relief and recovery in that state.

Immediate Relief & Volunteer Opportunities

To help support immediate relief efforts, you can donate to the Red Cross here.

World Central Kitchen has sent teams to Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee to provide meals where needed. You can donate to support their work here.

Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization, has established full response operations in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, route clearance teams in Georgia and Tennessee, and reconnaisance teams in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. You can donate to support their work here. Volunteer sign-up is available here.

Those who live in and around Boone, North Carolina, can sign up with Samaritan’s Purse to assist with debris removal and clean-up between now and November 2.

In North Carolina, Volunteer NC is seeking volunteers here. North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster has a round-up of volunteer opportunities on its website.

If you know of other volunteer opportunities, please let us know.

The latest issue of Philanthropy Southeast’s quarterly magazine, Inspiration, is now available for all members to view online.

This issue opens with a special message from President & CEO Dena Chadwick, who reflects on the unexpected loss of Janine Lee earlier this year, while also discussing her own leadership journey and the continued need for philanthropy in the Southeast to serve as a source of both courageous leadership and bridge-building.

This issue also includes:

• A look at how foundations in Mississippi have supported work to honor the legacy of Emmett Till and turn the story of his tragic murder into a source of justice and healing.
• An exploration of how foundation work environments have changed post-pandemic, including shared spaces and fully virtual offices.
• An excerpt from a new book by Robert Dortch, former Philanthropy Southeast Board chair, on seven elements of leadership and how they relate to philanthropy’s work in the region.

Print copies of Inspiration are mailed to senior staff at Philanthropy Southeast member organizations, as well as Hull Fellows alumni. All members can access this issue, and previous issues, through the archive on our website.

If you have a story idea for a future issue of Inspiration, please contact David Miller, vice president of strategic communications, at david@philanthropysoutheast.org.

Get ready for Philanthropy Southeast’s 55^th Annual Meeting in Nashville this November with these titles by our keynote and plenary speakers, now available through our online Lending Library. Philanthropy Southeast members have exclusive access to our collection offering eBooks and audiobooks on best practices in philanthropy and nonprofit management, advancing equity, and trends in the social sector. Visit our website to learn more and get started today!

I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica Guzmán
Chair's Book Club Selection

Journalist Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted – twice – for Donald Trump. When the country could no longer see straight across the political divide, Mónica set out to find what was blinding us, and discovered the most eye-opening tool we're not using: our own curiosity. In this timely, personal guide, Mónica, the chief storyteller for the national cross-partisan depolarization organization Braver Angels, takes you to the real front lines of a crisis that threatens to grind America to a halt – broken conversations among confounded people. She shows you how to overcome the fear and assumptions that surround us to finally do what only seems impossible: understand and even learn from people in your life whose whole worldview is not just different from yours, but opposed.